Street Rat
by E13I7UI1411
Summary: After being kicked out of her uncle's house for blowing up her "aunt", Alexandra lives on the streets. With a gang of misfits and street rats, she survives. Nobody in the wizarding world knows. What happens when a chance encounter makes her situation known? How will her friends react? And is Alexandra still the same girl she used to be?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Alexandra Potter is no longer welcome at her house after she blew up her "aunt". She's been living on the streets with a ragtag band of misfits and street rats. Nobody in the wizarding world knows about this. What happens when a chance encounter makes her situation known? How will her friends react?

Alexandra Potter raced from her uncle's house, heart pounding. She had just blow up her "aunt". She was so dead. Her uncle didn't often get violent, not really. But Alexandra knew that she had crossed the line this time. Uncle Vernon was going to kill her. So she ran down the street, through the park, across the woods, and into an alleyway. She was about to continue, when she ran into a little girl. She had messy black hair, and big brown eyes. She was wearing a long nightgown. She couldn't be more than eight. Clutching her hand was a toddler with curly brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a large shirt like a nightgown.

"What are you two doing out here by yourselves?" she questioned, bending down. The girl shook her head quickly, and started to back away. The little boy, who was being pulled backwards by the girl, tripped. Alexandra helped him up, and was about to question them, when the girl screamed.

"Lia! ¡Ayuda! ¡Esta extraña señora está secuestrando a Cormac!" (Lia! Help! This strange lady is kidnapping Cormac!) She shouted running down the street. Alexandra had no idea what the little girl had screamed, but it didn't sound good for her. A second later a girl about Alexandra's age came running down the street. She had hazel eyes and curly black hair. She seemed to be wearing normal clothes. She had on denim shorts and a purple tee-shirt. Alexandra let go of the toddlers arm and backed away, holding her arms up in a non-threatening manner. The hazel eyed girl scooped up the toddler and glared at Alexandra.

"Where are your parents?" she asked suspiciously. Alexandra raised an eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same question." Responded Alexandra.

"I asked you first." Said the girl. Alexandra sighed. She didn't have time for this. The ministry was probably coming for her, and her guardians wanted to kill her. But curiosity got the better of her.

"My parents are dead. But if you mean my guardians, they are at their house probably plotting how best to kill Me." Alexandra said. "How about you?"

"We ran away from home. Our parents were abusive, end of story. Why do you care so much?" the mystery girl asked.

"I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"No it didn't. Knowledge did. Curiosity was just framed for the crime." Smirked Alexandra. The other girl smiled.

"I like you. I'm Lilith. Lilith Genevieve Asho. You?"

"Al-"Alexandra stopped. She trusted these people, but you could never be too sure. "I mean, Ava Lucy Pennell." She added, keeping her initials the same.

"This is Mallory Violet Asho." Lilith said pointing to the girl. "And Cormac Avery Asho." She said pointing to the boy. "So would you like to come on the run with us?" Alexandra was about to answer when she heard a faint popping sound. Suddenly several ministry officials walked out from dark corners, led by Fudge and Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley rushed over to Alexandra, and pulled her away from the Asho's.

"How could you be so foolish?" asked M. Weasley. "There is a murderer after you!" Alexandra wasn't fazed. There had been a murderer after sense she was born. One more wasn't a big deal to her.

"Nothing new there. To name a few: Tom Riddle when I was one, Professor Quirrell when I was eleven, Tom Riddle again when I was eleven, and Tom Riddle for a second time when I was eleven, Tom Riddle when I was twelve." She shrugged. Lilith was steadily paling. "So who's the new murderer?" this was breaking point for Lilith, who started making choking sounds.

"You've had murderers after you…sense you were one?" she asked in a strangled voice. Alexandra nodded.

"My parents got on the wrong side of…" Alexandra struggled to put this into words that wouldn't have her tossed in the loony bin. "A gang leader, of sorts. He somehow got it into his head that to rule the world, he had to kill me. So on Halloween, he came to my house and… murdered my parents. Because of… because of me. He tried to kill me, but somehow injured himself and fled. The…gang members… thought that I killed him and have been after me. Of course, I know he's not dead. Tom Riddle is his name. So back to the topic at hand, who is this new murderer?"

"Stop Arthur! I forbid you from telling her anything. She is safe not knowing." Ordered Fudge.

"You know what she's like at school! Last year she wandered into the forbidden forest, and was attacked by extremely deadly spiders and went into a snake's lair, where she was bit by said poisonous snake. She almost dyed!" argued Mr. Weasley. Fudge was about to shout back when Alexandra interrupted him.

"Ok five things! One: I didn't 'wander' into the forest, I went in there looking for the spiders. Two: I didn't know it was a snake's lair. I just knew that it held a dangerous creature that had killed a student. Three: not my fault I was bitten by a snake! Four: I didn't _almost_ die. I was given the anti-venom with at least a 10 seconds to spare. Five: why would I go looking for someone that wants to kill me?" Alexandra stated/asked. Mr. Weasley raised an eyebrow.

"First year." He fake coughed. Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Sheesh! You go looking for someone who wants to kill you ONE TIME and suddenly you can't be trusted with the name of the person who wants to kill you!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

"Second year." Deadpanned Mr. Weasley. Alexandra sighed.

"I didn't know that he wanted to murder me at the time! Just one of my best friends, a third of the schools population, and my best friends little sister." Explained Alexandra.

"It doesn't matter! You don't need to know right girl?" asked Fudge, not noticing the way Alexandra flinched when he called her girl. In fact, only Lilith noticed. She looked over at Alexandra and mouthed the words your guardians. Her eyes darkened when Alexandra nodded slightly.

"N-no sir. I don't need to know. But I would really like to." Answered Alexandra with a slight quiver in her voice. Again, nobody noticed except Lilith.

"Perfect. Now back on track. We cleared up the little issue at your aunt and uncle's house, and they've agreed to welcome you back for summer vacation, as long as you stay at your boarding school for the rest of the year." Fudge said happily.

"I always do that. And I don't want to return there. Ever." She stated.

"Now, now. I'm sure you guys love each other. Er- deep, deep, down." Fudge said nervously.

"How much did you pay them?" Alexandra asked suddenly. Fudge quickly appeared uncomfortable.

"Four thousand pounds." He mumbled. Mr. Weasley looked horrified.

"Why would you have to pay them? They're her family!" he gasped in horror. Lilith laughed humorlessly.

"Don't tell me you're _that_ stupid. He really doesn't know? I've known her for, what? Five, ten minutes? And even _I_ know that her aunt and uncle abuse her. Verbally for sure, probably physically. I don't know about sexually. It's a definite possibility. Also the state of her points to neglect, and malnourishment. She's very pale, though that might be because I'm reveling her secrets without ever being told them, and her clothes are obviously boy's clothes that have been repurposed." Stated Lilith with disgust. Mr. Weasley looked ready to pass out. He grabbed Alexandra's shoulder, and turned her around to face him.

"Is this true?" he asked gently. Alexandra gave a nervous laugh.

"Of course not." She said without meeting his eyes. Lilith scowled.

"When was the last time he threatened you? Your uncle." Asked Lilith.

"He's never threatened me!" said Alexandra shrilly.

"Has he ever threatened you?" asked Mr. Weasley. "And I'll know if you're lying. I can do legilimency. So tell me the truth." Alexandra had no idea what legilimency was, but she knew that she had no choice.

"A couple days ago." She mumbled.

"And just what did he say?" asked a livid Mr. Weasley through gritted teeth. Alexandra bit her lip. There was no getting out of this. She wished that she could get away, far away. It didn't matter where she went, as long as it wasn't here. And suddenly she wasn't there anymore. She was in the leaky cauldron. Breathless, she turned around to find Fudge standing behind her.

"Look here girl!" he warned pointing a finger in his face. "I don't care how you're treated at your house. That is not my problem. I didn't put you there, but it'll be me whose head will be chopped off if the press gets wind of this. I'll obliviate the ministry workers, and you'll keep your mouth shut. Are we clear?" he asked. Alexandra crossed her arms and nodded.

"Crystal." Answered Alexandra, quoting her favorite movie. They had had free movie days during the summer last year, and she had sneaked away to see "A Few Good Men." (AN: free movie days is a real thing at my theater during the summer.) Nodding, he turned and left. Wondering if the memory charm would work, Alexandra hauled her trunk up the stairs. Flopping down on her bed, she wondered about the Asho's. Would she ever see them again? What had their parents done to drive them over the edge? Would she had ran away with them, if she hadn't been interrupted? With a pang of guilt, she realized that yes. She would have ran away.

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With a sinking feeling, Alexandra stepped off the train at the end of third year. She had to face her aunt and uncle. They were going to kill her. She was sure of it. This year had been a whirlwind. She had found out that the crazy murder after her who had killed her parents was her godfather, her favorite defense professor (the only one who hadn't tried to kill or erase her memories) turned out to be a werewolf and almost killed her (accidentally, of course), and her best friends rat turned out to be the real traitor who was supposed to be dead. All things considered, it wasn't until she reached the platform that she remembered she was dead meat. But to her great surprise, and relief, the Dursleys weren't there. Hermione had early yearly check up to go to, sense her birthday happened while she was at Hogwarts, so she was rushed away by her parents. The Weasleys stayed for an hour, but there was still no sign of the Dursleys. Alexandra knew she had to do something soon. Her aunt and uncle probably expected her to walk home as punishment for blowing up Marge. She decided to borrow a quarter from a passing muggle lady to call her aunt.

"Dursley household, Vernon Dursley speaking." Came the deep voice over the receiver.

"Uncle Vernon, it's me. Alexandra. I'm assuming that I have to walk home?" she questioned. Uncle Vernon's whole demeanor changed instantly.

"Listen here, girl. My home isn't yours anymore. I'm kicking you out. Don't come back. If you show your freakish face here again, you'll be sorry. Never call this number again. And stay away from my family!" he roared. Alexandra heard a dial tone, and knew that he had hung up on her. Walking away from the pay phone, Alexandra couldn't make herself tell the Weasleys about this. They would be outraged and tell Dumbledore, who would make the Dursleys keep Alexandra. And she didn't want to go back. So instead she came up with a cover story.

"My aunt and uncle are busy. I have to walk home." She said. Mrs. Weasley looked scandalized.

"But that's horrible! You are a thirteen year old girl! Who knows what kind of horrible people could kidnap you!" cried Mrs. Weasley. Alexandra shrugged.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I better go though. It's late and you should be getting home to your own family. Truly it's not a big deal." Insisted Alexandra. The Weasleys, though still wary, agreed. Jogging off in the direction of her house, Alexandra waited until all of the Weasleys were gone, before heading off in the opposite direction. She ran down the street, keeping eyes peeled desperately for any sign of the Asho's. She passed an alleyway, and did a double take when she saw a little boy with big brown eyes peering out at her. He was wearing too short dress pants, a too long dress shirt, and a too big black vest. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the "he" was a "she". She had had light freckles covering her elven shaped nose, and her hair was completely covered in a black bandana. Her feet were bare. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat when she realized who the little girl was. It was Mallory Asho.

"Mallory it's me, Ava. Can you take me to your sister?" she asked slowly. Mallory nodded.

"Yes." She answered softly. Mallory grabbed her hand and pulled her over to an abandoned apartment covered in graffiti. The whole alley was covered in graffiti really. They walked up the rusty fire escape, and climbed through a window. It closed behind them with a hearty clunk. Inside the ratty apartment were four people. Alexandra recognized two of them as Cormac and Lilith. One of the others was a boy. He looked about Alexandra's age, tan with blond hair and green eyes. The other was a girl, maybe in her early twenties, with chocolate colored skin, brown eyes, and short curly black hair.

"Why did you bring someone here?" asked the girl sharply. Mallory looked nervous.

"¡Me pidió que la trajera aquí! ¡La conocemos antes, el verano pasado! Su nombre es Ava! ¡Algunos hombres la llevaron! Lilith dijo que no nos lastimaría!" (She asked me to bring her here! We have met her before, last summer! Her name is Ava! Some men took her! Lilith said she wouldn't hurt us!) Mallory exclaimed in rapid Spanish. She then turned to Lilith.

"You remember her, right Lia?" asked Mallory. Alexandra held her breath until Lilith nodded.

"Mallory's right. We can trust Ava." Decided Lilith. "But I'm assuming that's not your real name?" she asked, turning to a now blushing Alexandra, who shook her head no.

"I've kept my initials the same. My real name is Alexandra Lily Potter." Answered Alexandra.

"I'm Hassan Crawford." Introduced the blonde.

"Suzette Andi Natasha." Introduced the brown eyed adult.

"So you guys all live here?" asked Alexandra. Lilith nodded.

"Us and my older sister Nakusha. But everyone calls her McKenzie. It's her middle name. call her Nakusha and your dead." Explained Lilith. "You can call me Lia, by the way. I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you here?" she asked. Alexandra sighed.

"My uncle isn't very happy with me. My aunt, well she's not really my aunt but I'm forced to call her that, had an allergic reaction. I cook all of the meals, and apparently she was allergic to something I cooked. I didn't realize she was allergic to it, but my uncle didn't care. That's why I ran away last summer." Fibbed Alexandra. Lilith nodded in understanding.

"Yes, but why are you here now? And who were those men who took you? Is there still a murderer after you?" she asked in confusion.

"My parents went to an exclusive boarding school in Scotland, and before they died, they paid for me to go there. That's why I didn't come earlier. When I got off the train, by aunt and uncle weren't there. I called them, and they threatened me not to come home. So I didn't. Those men were the FBI in charge of the Tom Riddle case. The Dursleys over reacted and called them saying that I had "poisoned" my aunt. When they got wind of the fact that I had ran away, they took me to a safe house until school started. But don't worry! Nobody is currently after me! I'm not putting you in danger. Can I please stay?" asked Alexandra.

"Of course! But we need to change your hair, and steal you some clothes." Decided Suzette. Alexandra reared back.

"Wait, what?" asked Alexandra. "I get the hair and clothes thing. I'm recognizable, and my clothes are kinda deplorable, but steal? Is that really necessary?" Hassan chuckled.

"I was like that to at first. I ran away when I was seven. Suzette found me, and stole me an outfit. I was horrified. But then I realized that it was part of survival." Explained Hassan. "FYI, here is your new schedule: on Mondays you beg. Tuesdays you do odd jobs. Wednesdays and Thursdays you pick-pocket around town on Fridays you beg. On Sundays we go to church in the morning and relax in the afternoons, unless we have a job. On Saturdays we stay home and teach Mallory and Cormac. You have the same schedule as Lia." Alexandra, though still not liking the idea of stealing, nodded and resigned herself to doing such. Lilith grinned.

"Great!" she beamed. "Let me give you the grand tour. There are three rooms in the apartment. The main room is the one we are currently in. Over there is where you and I'll sleep." She said pointing to a couch against a wall. "It folds out into a bed. Behind us is where Suzette sleeps.'' She pointed to a dirty, white chaise. "McKenzie and Mallory sleep in the bed over there." She pointed to a queen size mattress laying on the floor. It had three pillows and a black quilt on it. Next to the bed was a rack holding five shirts, a jacket, and a sweater. Folded neatly on the floor next to the rack was a couple pairs of pants, some undergarments, and a skirt. With a start, Alexandra realized that besides the clothes on their backs, this was all the clothing they owned. "That pile of green couch cushions is where Hassan and Cormac sleep." Narrated Lilith, pointing to the far corner. She then led Alexandra to a red door. Inside was a small kitchen. "In here is the kitchen, and through the blue door is the restroom. And that's it." Finished Lilith with a smile. "What color would you like to dye your hair?" Alexandra thought about it for a minute. "

"I think I would make a nice blonde-

"No way! To do that you would have to bleach your hair! Your hair is way too beautiful to ruin like that!" interrupted Lilith. "You have to dye it red. That's the only color you can dye black hair without it being bleached." She explained. Alexandra sighed. Great she would look identical to her mom. She had to get the dye out before she left for Hogwarts, or else her teachers would have a heart attack.

"Tonight will be your chance to prove yourself, Alexandra." Said Suzette.

"Don't call be Alexandra. Usually when someone calls me that, they want to kill me. Call me Alex, or Ally, or Alexa, or Lexi, or Andra. But not Alexandra." She stated.

"I think Lexi's right." Said Hassan with a wink. "When out in public we should call her Ava. If someone were to realize that she wasn't at her uncle's house, he might lie and say that she ran away. Then people might be on the lookout. Alexandra isn't a very common name."

"Can we get back on topic? What do you mean by 'a chance to prove myself'?" Alexandra asked. Mallory smirked.

"Whenever someone comes to live with Suzette, they have to steal clothes on their first night. Hassan was a special case, but everyone else did. I didn't manage to steal a single outfit, but McKenzie stole one for herself and for me. Plus Hassan gave me the clothes he ran away in. they didn't fit him when he was seven, but he thought they might fit me. Lia snagged two outfits." The small girl explained. Alexandra sighed. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: any characters or events that you recognize, belong to J.K. Rowling.

Alexandra Potter walked down the street, hand in hand with Hassan Crawford. To anybody else, they looked like a happy couple, not a pair of homeless friends. Alexandra was wearing a jumper with pink, white, and grey floral designs, white flats, and had a pink flower pin in her now red hair. Hassan was wearing a white tee-shirt, beige cargo shorts, and blue flip-flops. On her first night, Alexandra had successfully stolen four outfits. A new record. But that had been back when she had just finished third year. She had finished her fourth year a couple of weeks ago, and by now was used to the street rat life. Today was Wednesday so she and Hassan were pick-pocketing. But in public they were Ava Pennell and Zachary Jessup. The duo weaved in and out of the crowded streets, packed with people enjoying the farmers market. Hassan didn't usually pick-pocket, but Lilith was sick and couldn't help today. So she grabbed wallets from pockets, goods from bags, phones from purses, and rings off fingers. Nobody noticed in the congested atmosphere, and by the time they did, Alexandra was gone. Looking ahead, she saw a family of three buying some flowers. A mum, and dad, and a girl about Alexandra's age. Sticking out of the girl's shopping bag, was a box containing a charm bracelet. She sat her bag down to admire some flowers, and Alexandra got a peek inside. The charm bracelet box was sitting on top of a loaf of bread. Next to the bread was a pack of shredded mozzarella cheese, a box of Froot Loops, a denim jacket, foundation, syrup, and a container of parsley. The girl had obviously shed her denim jacket, for she was just wearing a tank top. They had probably picked up the rest here at the farmers market, though Alexandra had no idea where they had gotten the foundation, Froot Loops, syrup, or the charm bracelet. While the girl was distracted by the flowers, Alexandra snatched the bag.

"Hermione, what do you think of these flowers? Will Aunt Jessica like them? You're always good at this sort of thing." Called her father. Alexandra dropped the bag with crash. Hermione. That couldn't be a coincidence. It wasn't a very common name. Now that Alexandra looked closer, she could tell it was Hermione. Said girl looked back, startled at the sound of her bag dropping. Her gaze turned angry as she realized that she was being robbed. Hassan grabbed the bag before Hermione could, grabbed a dazed Alexandra's hand and ran.

"What happened back there Lex?" he asked, once they were a safe distance away.

"I know that girl. It's my friend from school." Gasped Alexandra. "I cross the line at robbing my friends." Hassan sighed.

"Look, I know that you're still semi-new to this, but to survive you need to steal from anyone and everyone." He explained gently.

"I know. If the opportunity ever comes again, I'll take it. I was just surprised that she was here. It's a good thing she didn't realize it was me." Hassan gave her an odd look.

"You haven't told your friends about your uncle? They don't know you live on the streets?" he asked in confusion. Alexandra gave him a bemused look.

"Umm, no. why would I tell them?" she asked. Hassan stared at her blankly before shaking his head.

"You'll regret it when your older, little one, trust me." he said in his oldest sounding voice. Alexandra poked him in the ribs.

"Shut up. You're only a few weeks older than me. By the way, happy belated birthday! The girls and I are working together to get you something, but we've had a couple of setbacks." Hassan blushed.

"You guys don't have to get me anything. I know how thin money is." But Alexandra just shook her head.

"Nonsense. Now come on. I see a sandwich stand up ahead. Let's try to blend in with a family. I can hear a ham salad sandwich calling my name!" declared Alexandra. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stand. The people ordering were a young couple, a boy with blue hair, and a girl with bleach blonde hair. Behind them were a large family of redheads.

"No way." Muttered Alexandra. Hassan looked at her in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"That redhead family. I know them as well. But they don't live around here. What are they doing ordering sandwiches?" she wondered.

"Fred, George I swear this time I'm going to kill you!" yelled Ginny.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! You will not threaten your brothers!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.

"Now, now Molly. Let's at least find out what the twins did before we punish her." Rationalized Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"Your right Arthur. Boys what did you do?" she asked the now pale twins. Before the two could come up with an answer, their mother was distracted by Hermione bounding over.

"It's gone!" she squealed. "Some petty thieves took my bag while I was looking for Aunt Jessica's flowers!" Mr. Weasley tried to calm the girl.

"What did they look like?" he asked.

"It was a boy and a girl, both about my age. The boy had sandy colored hair, green eyes, tan, about 5'4, and skinny. And the girl looked just like Lily Potter. She had the same colored eyes as Alexandra, red hair, pale, about 5'1, and skinny. And I could've swore that I saw a scar on her forehead." Explained Hermione. "And that's not the worst of it. I didn't think I needed it, sense it was a muggle town, so I left it in the bag! And now the bag's gone!" all of the Weasleys paled, except Ron who had no idea what was going on. Alexandra however realized exactly what she had left in her bag. Her wand.

"Don't fret 'mione. Just by some more stuff." Soothed Ron.

"Honestly Ron, you can be so thick sometimes." Sneered Percy.

"Shut up Percy!" he fumed.

"Hassan go back to Ceniza. (AN: Ceniza is the name of their apartment. It means ash house in Spanish, which is the Asho's first langue, except for Cormac. That's why when Mallory panicked she spoke in Spanish.) he shot her a confused glance.

"Umm… why?" he questioned. Alexandra bit her lip. She didn't have time for this. Any second they could realize it was her.

"I found a way for us to get some free food, but it will only work with Cormac, so run!" hissed Alexandra. Hassan raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright! I'm going. Just don't forget my offer!" added Hassan as he ran off in the direction of Ceniza. Alexandra blushed. Hassan's offer was to be is girlfriend. And not a fake girlfriend to get money. His real one. And Alexandra truly did love him. She just wasn't sure if it was the same love she felt for Ron; brotherly love, or the kind she felt for Neville and Dean; friendship. Blushing deeper, she realized that maybe it was something more than friendship with Neville. No. Hassan loved her, and she loved him. When he came back with Cormac, she would tell him yes. But now she had business to attend to. She carefully brushed foundation over her forehead until her scar was no longer visible. Nothing she could do about the dirt that lightly dusted her face, or the bright green of her eyes. (AN: Alexandra doesn't wear glasses. It would make things too complicated if she did.) Putting a smile on her face, she approached her best friends, praying they wouldn't recognize her.

"Hello Hermione." Alexandra whispered in the brunette's ear. She yelped.

"Y-you're the one who stole my bag! I'll…I'll call the police!" threatened a flustered Hermione. Alexandra giggled.

"No you won't." stated Alexandra matter-o-factly. Hermione drew herself up. By now the Weasleys knew what was going on. They recognized the young girl as one of the duo that had robbed Hermione.

"And why not?" she asked.

"Because I have your wand." Alexandra smiled. Hermione gasped.

"How did you know?" Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Same way I know that your name is Hermione Granger, your Aunt's name is Jessica, your mother and father are named John Granger and Rose Granger, and the lovely redheads you're with are Molly, Arthur, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginevra Weasley." She explained to the gobsmacked girl.

"Have you been spying on us?" asked Ginny.

"Why Ginevra I'm horrified that you think so lowly of me. I was simply eavesdropping. In case you didn't realize, you and I share the same hair color so you guys are the perfect targets. I heard you yell at Fred and George, you get scolded for yelling at them, Hermione's dad called her over and I heard your brother, who I later found out was Percy, sneer at you using the name Ron, Molly and Arthur had a conversation using each other's first names, and same reason with John and Rose. So basically, you're going to buy me eight foot long subs, all with different meat and cheeses, and I'll give you your wand back." Alexandra explained cheerfully. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"We'll have a deal if, and only if, you also return the bracelet. It's a gift for my friend." Hermione stated coldly. Alexandra nodded in agreement. She saw Hassan approaching and told the Weasleys and co to stay put. Hassan handed Alexandra Cormac, who was decked out in his favorite dinosaur pjs, and rushed back to the Weasleys. Cormac was now five and turning out to be an adorable kid. He had bright blue eyes, fair skin, and wavy brown hair. Mr. Weasley raised an eyebrow at the little kid.

"Why is he here?" he questioned. "And where did he come from?" Alexandra sighed.

"He is here because he blends in with Hermione. The more people, the more sandwiches are unsuspicious. And he came from our house, so to speak. He, along with the other boy and four other girls, live on the streets with me. We all ran." She answered. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears at the thought of such a young child living on the streets. Hermione looked sad, while Ron still looked confused.

"But why? Why would you choose a life of hardship over one of safety and love?" he asked. Alexandra smiled.

"I didn't. Life here may be slightly less safe, but is way more loving. Actually, life here and at my old house are equally safe." Alexandra explained slowly. "But I wouldn't expect you to get it. You and your siblings are obviously very much loved. Though you appear to be poor in the money department, I have never seen a family so rich and lucky." Suddenly the young couple rushed away, arms full of sandwiches.

"Next!" called the man at the counter. The group of ten moved up.

"Hi, we need a number 15 please." Ordered Hermione. The cashier nodded.

"And what would you like to drink with that?"

"Four milks two white two chocolate, six waters, six cokes, and eight lemonades." Alexandra looked up at this. Glancing at the menu she was startled to realize that a number fifteen was a platter of two dozen sandwiches. The cashier totaled their amount.

"Ok that will be… 60.53 pounds ($77.93)." finished the cashier. He handed over their purchases in two bags, and once far enough away they divided up the stuff. The Weasleys took four of the waters, three of the cokes, one of the lemonades, and eight of the sandwiches. Alexandra couldn't believe how much food they were bringing home. She thanked the Weasleys profusely for their generous gift. They brushed it off with waved hands. Hermione however was still puzzled.

"How did you know my wand was important? I mean, to most muggles it would be strange." Hermione questioned. Alexandra froze. She couldn't tell her the truth, not now that they pitied her. So she wildly invented a cover story.

"My parents are Deatheaters who…umm…did uh, horrible things to me. I burned their house down and escaped… and nobody knew of my existence." She lied. Hermione still didn't look convinced.

"So what's your name?" Alexandra bit her lip. She couldn't use her normal fake name. Hermione wasn't the brightest witch of her age for nothing and would surely put together the initial clue.

"Megan Bruce." Alexandra answered randomly. Hermione frowned.

"There aren't any wizarding families with the last name of Bruce." She stated. Alexandra raised an eyebrow.

"You think I would really tell you my real name? That's cute. But living on the streets taught me some very wise life lessons. Trust no one." Deadpanned Alexandra. With that she returned the wand and bracelet to Hermione, and returned to Ceniza ready to feast.


	3. Promise rings and startling discoveries

AN: hey hi! I know that I haven't updated in like two weeks, but I have an excuse. I don't own a laptop, and writing on my phone is irritating. I use my dad's laptop, but her needed it for a workshop all week. He gets off work at three something or other, but I had VBS the whole week from four till eight. When I get home I eat dinner, and my parents insist on me being in bed by ten. So here it is! Voila!

Hermione Granger was many things. Meticulous was one of them. she noticed the tiny details. Like the fact that her parents didn't call themselves by their first names the whole trip to the farmers market. Or the fact that she so readily agreed to return the bracelet. And the wand. If she was really a penniless street rat whose parents were Deatheaters, why didn't she keep the wand for herself? And why did none of the Weasleys or Hermione know about a Deatheater family's house being burned down? There was something fishy about "Megan Bruce." And Hermione wanted to figure it out. but she currently had another problem on her hands. She hadn't heard from Alexandra in a couple of weeks, and was getting nervous. _That_ was why they were in London. She was going to go to Alexandra's house. The Weasleys were not sure how to act like muggles, so she was going by herself. The Weasleys were waiting by the muggle entrance to the ministry. There was a park near there, and they were going to spend the day there. Shuddering slightly, she forgot that her denim jacket was in her bag, Hermione rang the doorbell of number four. A skinny woman with brown hair in a bun, a long neck, and was wearing a green, skin tight, strappy dress with hideous daisies on it. Hermione forced a smile.

"Hello. You must be Mrs. Dursley. May I come in?" she asked politely. Petunia beamed at her.

"Of course. Aren't you just darling." Petunia moved out of the way and ushered Hermione into the sitting room.

"I'm assuming that you're here to see my little Dudley?" she asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Actually I'm here to see you. I just moved and heard that another girl my age lives here." She lied. Petunia looked shocked.

"I don't know where you heard that. I'm the only girl living here." She answered honestly. Hermione frowned.

"Really? I could have sworn they said that Alexandra Potter lived here. Anyway can I have a tour of your house? Sorry that was rude." Hermione muttered. Petunia looked delighted.

"Of course. But may I ask why?"  
"I heard the neighbors talking about how… beautiful and…uh… well-kept your house is." Petunia nodded enthusiastically.

"All very true things. Come." And she proceeded to show Hermione the kitchen and the living room. When they arrived at the cupboard under the stairs, Hermione peered at it suspiciously. If they Dursleys were cruel enough to lock Alexandra in her bedroom, who knows what they would do. Alexandra never said anything about being kept in a closet, but then why was there a lock?

"What's in there?" Hermione asked pointing to the cupboard. Petunia sniffed with disdain before answering.

"Cleaning supplies. It's horribly dusty." She opened the door to show Hermione. Petunia wasn't lying. It was horribly dusty and full of mops, brooms, buckets, and other such stuff. Petunia continued her tour by starting up the stairs. The first bedroom at the top had no door. Petunia noticed Hermione staring at it.

"We used to use it as a storage room, but we decided to redo it. It's going to be an in-law suite for Vernon's parents."

Inside the room the room that Hermione knew to be Alexandra's, was an empty wardrobe missing a door, a couple cans of paint, and a rolled up carpet against the wall.

Petunia showed her three more rooms, hers, a guest room that looked unused, and Dudley's room. When she was done, Hermione excused herself saying that she had promised that she would be home in time for tea. Running as soon as she was out of view of number four, Hermione headed for Tumbling Bay Park, a couple minutes' walk from the ministry entrance.

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Alexandra was blushing redder than her dyed hair as Hassan kneeled on one knee.

"Alexandra Lil-"

"Ahem." Hassan laughed.

"Fine. Andra Lily Potter, will you accept this promise ring?" she smiled.

"And what is it promising?"

"When we both turn eighteen, we'll still be there for each other. If we have a falling out and break up, which I hope never happens, we will still be friends. It's also my way of saying that I will wait for you. If you want to travel the world first, I will wait for you to return."

"Of course I'll accept Hassan. But this must've been expensive." Hassan just waved it off.

"Sense all of these jewels are knock-offs, it cost me sixty bucks. Don't worry, I only used the money I made from odd jobs and the S.S stand." Alexandra gasped.

"So that's why you suggested that!" Hassan had proposed the idea of doing lemonade/ bake goods stand during the summer on Saturdays and Sundays. That's why they called it the S.S stand. Alexandra wasn't surprised that Hassan had enough money for the ring once he told her the cost. They barely spent any of their money, only as much as they needed to. The rest was for special treats, and for a real house. Alexandra was shocked out of her thoughts by Hassan slipping the ring on her pointer finger, where a wedding ring goes. She blushed again as she looked at the ring. It was a simple silver band with an infinity sign on it. On one side of the infinity sign was pearls, and on the other was rubies. Their birth stones.

"Read the inscription." Said Hassan excitedly. She slipped the ring off her finger, and read the inside of the band. It said _Forever and Always_ with the dates _6-27-93_ and _7-31-98_ engraved in tiny writing.

"That's really sweet Hassan. But why…June 27th, 1993? I get that the second one is when I turn eighteen, but why when you turned thirteen?" he chuckled.

"That was when I first met you. And trust me that was the best birthday present I ever got. Even better than the shark tooth necklace you got me this year." Alexandra slipped the ring back on her finger with a smile.

"Come on. I have to get down to the park and start selling some lemonade." On weekends they sold stuff at Tumbling Bay Park. Alexandra was rather good a sewing, so sometimes she would go to thrift stores or yard sales and by large men's shirts and turn them into dresses. It was much cheaper than buying a dress at a yard sale or thrift shop. Alexandra was wearing one she had made out of an old sweater. It was an ugly sweater that only cost three bucks, and made a rather ugly dress. The dress was a black sundress with a scowling snowman on it. Not the most attractive thing, but it fit and that was what mattered. She had pulled her long red hair into a bun, then a ponytail, and back again. It was now in a long French braid. She found that doing her hair nervous habit of hers. She kissed Hassan on the cheek and climbed out through the window.

Arriving at the park saw the Weasleys. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing to the side and chatting lightly, the twins were using the swing as a table for a list of some kind, Ron was sitting dejectedly on the net much to the annoyance to little kids who were scrambling around him, and Ginny was hang upside down from the net and having a very one-sided conversation with Ron. Standing only feet away from the Weasley kids, was the lemonade stand. Lilith was wearing a blue dress with white sail boats made from an old shirt, and her messy hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Smeared across her face was a streak of dirt. Mallory was wearing a dress Alexandra had made out of an old bathing suit. The top was red and white strips with a black bird stitched on it and the bottom was all white tulle. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in tangled waves that resembled pig tails. Light dirt was spread unevenly over her face, giving her the appearance that she had fell out of a fireplace. Cormac was wearing blue and white striped dress pants made out of an old dress shirt and a large grey hoodie. Some random guy had seen him begging with Lilith, and had gave it to him. He still had to grow into it, but almost never took it off. Even in the heat of the summer he wore it. His feet were dirty; they would have to find a fountain to step in later, and he had a cut that was bleeding freely on his cheek and a Band-Aid on his arm. The only one who looked normal was McKenzie. Alexandra had learned on her first day not to call her Nakusha. It meant unwanted and was given to a girl when the parents wanted a boy. Her hair was brushed and in a short bob, and she was wearing a light blue dress that Alexandra had made. She was surprised that McKenzie was even here. She worked as a hair stylist, manicurist, and a waitress. She was forever asking for more shifts. She, along with Suzette, were the only two to have short hair. Suzette buzzed all of hers off when winter started. Jogging over to join her family, Alexandra immediately un-zipped Cormac's jacket and forced him to take it off. He complained the whole time, but she insisted that it was too hot. It was summer, and not too unusual to see a shirtless boy.

"Hey stranger." She greeted McKenzie. She smiled.

"I guess that's true. How do I look?"

"Can't even tell you're homeless." Suddenly Mallory squealed. The Asho's and co looked over, distracted, and didn't see Hermione make her way over to the Weasleys.

"Hassan… umm. Urg! I don't know the word in English!" she exclaimed frustrated. Lilith rolled her eyes.

"Mallory, me and McKenzie-"

"McKenzie and I." interrupted Alexandra. Lilith rolled her eyes again.

"Whatever. McKenzie and I both speak Spanish. So just say it in Spanish." Mallory blushed.

"Propuesto!" she squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. McKenzie started fanning her face and Lilith gasped looking at the ring on Alexandra's finger. For the third time that day, Alexandra blushed to the roots of her hair. She didn't speak Spanish, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what the Asho girls thought had happened.

"He didn't technically propose." Alexandra protested. "It's just a promise ring. It's his way of saying that even if we break up we will still be friends, and when we turn eighteen he wants to propose for real."

"Well it's a beautiful ring Ally, that's for sure." Admired Lilith. Alexandra closed her eyes tightly, hoping against hope that the Weasleys didn't hear that.

"Lia!" snapped Alexandra. Lilith slapped a hand over her mouth and Mallory sighed. McKenzie however was confused.

"What's the big deal?" she asked. Alexandra stood on her toes to whisper in her ear.

"The family of redheads right there? I know them. The youngest boy is one of my best friends. His nick name for me is Ally. They don't know that I'm a street rat. As far as they know, I still live with my unc…Vernon." Alexandra explained. McKenzie nodded.

"Got it. My lips are sealed."

"Thanks Kenzie."

"And listen, living on the streets is nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe if you tell your friends they can help you." Alexandra sighed, wishing it was that simple.

"I'll think abou-"

"Are we sellen fa lemon drink or nah." Interrupted Cormac. Mallory giggled.

"Yep, we're selling 'fa lemon drink.'" McKenzie scowled.

"Mal, don't make fun of your brother!" she scolded.

"Let's make some moola!" everyone laughed again at Alexandra's proclamation, and Lilith's earlier slip-up was forgotten.

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Ron continued to nod along to whatever Ginny was gabbing about. Something was off about the girls and boy selling lemonade. They all looked related, and happy. A picture out of a magazine in their little dresses, with their eyes sparkling and their done up. But upon closer inspection, little details were off. Their faces were dirty, their hair looked unwashed. The eldest and the youngest girl were the only ones wearing shoes. Their dresses appeared handmade, and they were all very small. The eldest looked about a year or two older then him, the curly haired one looked abou thirteen. The youngest girl couldn't be much more than seven, and the boy looked about three. The boy in particular looked familiar. Suddenly a girl wearing a rather ugly dress ran up to the stand. She had long red hair pulled into a French braid, bright green eyes eerily similar to Alexandra, and was wearing black dress shoes like the ones with a Hogwarts uniform. She pulled the boy close to her, and took off his jacket to reveal pale skin and too many ribs for Ron's liking. A small scar on his stomach appeared out of place on such a small boy.

"Hey stranger." Greeted the redhead. The eldest smiled warmly at her.

"I guess that's true." She responded. He was confused. Did they not know each other? Was she simply busy? "How do I look?" Ron took a moment to survey her. Her dress was faded as though it had been overly washed, which was strange considering they looked as though they had never heard of cleaning, her hair was neat, her face clean, and she was wearing heals. They didn't really match, but they looked relatively nice.

"Can't even tell your homeless." Remarked the redhead. Ron's eyes widened. So that's where he had seen the boy. He was with the redhead at the farmers market. Suddenly the younger girl squealed causing her companies to look at her in alarm, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny.

"Boo." Hermione whispered in Ginny's ear, causing her to look at the brunette bemusedly.

"Um, why boo?" she asked, perplexed. Hermione sighed.

"It's a muggle thing. They use the word boo to scare people. And before you ask, no it doesn't work. But that's not important right now. I have to tell you something about Ale-"

"Hey Hermione?" interrupted Ron. "How old do you have to be to be engaged in the muggle world?"

"Traditionally, you have to be an adult, so eighteen in the muggle world. But if both sides of the couple have their parent's consent, you can get married way younger. But, in some cultures, like India, you have arranged marriages. Also, some years ago when people died at age thirty, it was common practice to-"

"Skip the history lesson. I was just wondering because that girl in the black dress has on an engagement ring. She has to be twelve, thirteen tops. Anyway what were you saying about Ally?" Hermione blinked, then shook her head.

"Yes, I was saying that Alexandra is missing! Her aunt acted like she had never heard of her!" Ron bit his lip.

"This is bad." He mumbled. Hermione sighed.

"Duh Ronald."

"Well it's a beautiful ring Ally, that's for sure." A carrying voice said from across the park.

Ron's head shot up at the same time Hermione scanned the occupants of the lemonade stand and Ginny gasped. The redhead, Ally, closed her eyes tightly, while the curly haired one slapped a hand over her own mouth. Doing a cursory glance in the Weasleys direction, she snapped out the name "Lia" as the youngest girl sighed. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny shared looks. Could the homeless redhead be Alexandra? They didn't know, but they intended to find their missing friend, whatever the stakes.


	4. They're on to us!

Ron, Ginny, and the twins insisted upon staying at Hermione's house. Her parents didn't mind. Ginny slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of Hermione's room, Fred and George shared the king size bed in the guest room, while Ron slept on the couch in the guest room. During the days, they would search around town, looking for any sign of Alexandra or the mysterious redhead. So far they had spotted the girl with curly hair, Lia, with the little boy, and they saw the youngest girl around town with an African woman, but the redhead was nowhere to be seen. After the fifth day, they started to ask around. The twins didn't get anywhere, but the manager of Mark's Super Store! Pointed them towards Ms. Bluebells Beauty Parlor and Javier's steakhouse, and the principle of Dragon Hall elementary gave them names: Mallory Violet Asho, Lilith Genevieve Asho, Nakusha McKenzie Asho, and Hassan Zachary Crawford. All had stopped going to school. The twins decided to wander around London some more in hopes they would stumble across something, Ginny went to the beauty parlor, Ron went to the steakhouse, and Hermione went to the public library to search up the Asho's and Crawford's.

Ginny arrived at the beauty parlor, feeling uncomfortable. Hermione had leant her some fashion magazines she had gotten from the library, and Ginny was hoping her outfit was up to date with muggle fashion. She was wearing denim capris, a flowy grey tank top, a cream colored corduroy sleeveless vest, and white converse. A rather obnoxious boy who had been playing basketball with his friends, had had the nerve to ask her out. she had turned him down immediately, but he was persistent. He actually followed her a few blocks before she had to slap him across the face, despite the fact that he was older than her. Boys in the wizarding world were much more chivalry than that. here, boys were animals. She pushed open up the door, and heard a tinkling of a small bell. A middle aged brunette rushed up to her. She had blue eyes and pale skin. Her smile was thin, but she seemed cheerful enough. She was wearing a pink blouse and white pants underneath a green apron that covered most of her body.

"Hi, my name is Helga Kutori, but you can call me Helga. What were you looking for? Mani? Pedi? Massage? Or perhaps you wanted your hair done? Curled? Cut? Dyed?" Ginny was beginning to feel very overwhelmed.

"Actually I was wondering if Nakusha was here? Nakusha Asho? Ring a bell?" Helga shook her head no.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of anyone by that name working here."

"But I'm telling you, Nakusha works here!" a teenage girl quickly walked over, her heals clicking noisily on the wood floor. She had green-grey eyes and blonde hair.

"I'll take care of her ma'am." Helga nodded and walked over to the now ringing phone. The blonde kept smiling until her boss was out of eyesight, before she started to scowl. She grabbed Ginny roughly by her upper arm, and pulled her over to a back room. It was full of hair chemicals, style books, a couple broken chairs, and some other muggle things Ginny didn't recognize. Bending over a box of red hair dye, was Nakusha. She was wearing jeans and a tee-shirt now, but Ginny still recognized her. She had a mini green apron tied around her waist.

"Allison, is that you?" she asked without looking up.

"Yes but-

"Can you help me find the right shade of red for Alex's hair?"

"Kenz, I really think you should know-

"Found it!" shrieked a girl from the back. She had been hidden by boxes, but Ginny now had a clear view of her. She had green eyes, and her hair was concealed in a black head wrap. She was wearing a long white skirt, and a red sweater. Pinned on her sweater was a name tag bearing the name Isabella and around her waist was a mini green apron. She froze upon seeing Ginny.

"Umm… McKenzie-

"You said you found it?"

"Yes I found Alexandra's hair dye but-

"Great, can you toss it to me?"

"Sure bu-

"Thanks I- but Allison had had enough

"Nakusha McKenzie Asho!" she shouted. Nakusha went rigid and turned around slowly.

"You've better had a very, very good reason for calling me that name." she said dangerously, before her eyes popped out of her head.

"Oh h-hey. I'm Molly, this is Isabella and Alison, how can we help you?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Don't insult my intelligence. I know that you're Nakusha. I know that you have three younger siblings; Mallory Violet Asho, Lilith Genevieve Asho, and a little brother whose name I don't know at this point in time. I know you live with them, Hassan Zachary Crawford, and Alexandra Lily Potter." _Okay, so that last part was a guess._ Thought Ginny. "My brothers are heading there now." This was a full out lie, but Ginny wanted to scare her into admitting either where they lived, or if Alexandra really did live with her. At each word spoken, Nakusha got paler.

"Leave us!" she snapped at her friends. They nodded and quickly left the back room.

"How did you know all that?" she hissed. Ginny shrugged.

"My friends and I are observant." Nakusha sneered.

"What are you, twelve?"

"Fourteen!" exclaimed Ginny, affronted. Nakusha rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." Then she looked down sadly. "What do you want? Money? We don't have much, but…" she trailed off. Ginny was confused. Money? Why would she want money?

"Why would I want money?" she asked. Nakusha sent her a confused glance, before sighing.

"To keep our secret, and not turn us into the police. We are not bad people, but the police don't like us. We don't fit their perfect image." Ginny shrugged.

"I'm new in town, but I saw your brother and Alexandra at a marketplace. At least I think it was Alexandra. She's missing you see. Not at her _family's_ house." She said the word family's like it was a filthy creature. "Anyway, we wanted to invite her to stay with us for the rest of the summer, but like I said she's missing. We're really concerned about her." Nakusha bit her lip, and started playing with her fingernail. Ginny realized that she was wearing fingerless leather gloves. Nakusha noticed her staring.

"How were you able to afford those?" she asked. The older girl smiled sadly.

"Who said anything about buying them?" she asked. Ginny was horrified. "Look, after work, I'll let you leave. But you cannot follow me. if you truly know where I live, you can find it one your own. But until then, I'm locking you in the back room. Here, you can't cause any trouble." Before Ginny could register what Nakusha had said, the door was already closed and locked. Resigning herself to a couple of boring hours, Ginny flopped down on the floor.

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Hassan entered the library and approached the front desk. He worked odd jobs whenever he could get them, and today he was working at the library. It was Friday, and the library was opened longer. He slipped behind the computer, and started checking in and out books. He heard the usual _oh it's so good someone your age is interested in our community_ , or _did you hear about the latest job of the masked masqueraders_ , or the occasional _can you believe Mr. Crawford waited four years before reporting his son missing? You look kinda like him!_ In reality it had taken his dad six years, five months, and sixteen days to report him missing, but still. It was cool with him. He didn't expect anyone to notice him missing. The whole world believed him dead, after a body was found frozen in a ditch that matched his description. Idiots. Did it ever occur to them that he could bleach and dye his hair? Apparently not. Hassan brought himself back to the present, when a brunette approached the front desk. she was wearing a beige sweater, red shorts, brown trainers, and had peach colored sunglasses perched atop her mane of hair. A brown messenger bag was slung on her shoulder, and he realized with a start that it was the girl Lexi had robbed that day in the market.

"H-how may I help you?" he asked in a shaky voice. The girl furrowed her eye brows, but didn't say anything.

"I need to find public records of the Asho's and Crawford's." she stated calmly. Then her eyes widened comically.

"You're…you're the blonde boy who helped rob me…you must be Hassan Crawford!" she concluded. Crap. This was not good. He didn't know what to do. so his flight or fight response took action, and he ran. He ran so fast that he could hear the wind rushing past him in a seemingly endless torrent of sound. The police had found their hideout, so now they live literally on the streets. They still called their humble abode Ceniza though. Hassan ran up to the gate, and jumped. His leather clad hands grabbed the pointy upside down cones on top of the padlocked gate. They were meant to keep people like him away, but they were easy enough to grab onto. The only problem was having enough momentum to pull yourself over them, without having to put your feet down. It was tricky, but not impossible. His sneakers landed with a thud on the concrete, and he ran over to their 'house'. There were many old buildings, but they were all scheduled to be demolished in the fall. This was the government's attempt to "Help address the growing homeless problem in our community". In reality, it was helping nothing but their ability to not feel guilty. Out of sight, out of mind. But they still existed. Growing. Festering. Suffering. Their plans were to demolish the old buildings, and build homeless shelters. Until then, the homeless people were supposed to "take shelter in current homeless homes". Idiots. Didn't they get that if they could've, they would've gone to homeless shelters? For kids who ran, they would be either sent back to their previous home, or to an orphanage. And that was not an option for the Asho and co. they had to stick together. Hassan kept his head down as he walked, hoping nobody would pick a fight with him. He wasn't so lucky. He felt an empty plastic bottle hit the back of his head. He turned around, and found himself face to face with Kiara and her gang. Kiara was seventeen, with tan skin, brown eyes, and short black hair in a bob. Her second in command was Will, a pale boy with black hair and blue eyes. he was seventeen as well, and practically worshiped the ground Kiara walked on. He did whatever she wanted. Also in the gang was belle; a blonde with greyish eyes who was sixteen, matt; a brunette with brown eyes and pale skin also seventeen, and finally ruby; a redhead with extremely pale skin and crazy looking eyes. she was either sixteen or seventeen, nobody knew for sure, and was dating matt.

"Well, well, well. What 'ave we here?" she asked in a falsely sweet voice. Kiara didn't look homeless. She wore a purple tank-top, black leather jacket, jeans, and black boots. Ruby didn't look homeless either, she was wearing a high low green skirt, black tank top, black leather jacket, and black heeled boots. Only the boys and belle looked out of place. Belle was wearing a blue shawl of sorts, denim skirt, blue leggings, and black flats. Her skirt was clearly made from scraps of denim, and her shawl looked like a thrown together bunch of blue cloth. Belle was new to the group, and probably wasn't trusted to steal like the rest were. Her hair was greasy looking, and her face dirty. Same with the boys.

"Looks like ittle waby Hassan." Ruby sneered. "Did you bring us anything good?" Hassan knew better than to full out lie, so he emptied his back pockets, extracting some money, a candy bar, and a library card and handed them to Belle. She ogled the candy and money, but laughed at the library card.

"A library card? Why would we want that?" she asked in her strange American accent. How did she end up here in the first place? Will grabbed the money and bit on one of the coins. He laughed in delight.

"It's real money!" he exclaimed gleefully. Ruby snatched up the library card, and ripped it to shreds using her teeth. Kiara smirked and pushed him to the ground, walking past him and taking care to step on his fingers as she went. Many other homeless people, adults, kids, teens, watched, but did nothing to interfere. Two groups ruled this area. Kiara's gang, and the masked masqueraders. The masked masqueraders were none other than the girls. Alexandra, McKenzie, Mal, and Suzette. As soon as Kiara and her gang were out of sight, Hassan pulled himself to his feet and started running home. He was glad that Kiara was stupid. He never emptied his front pockets, where he hid some children's medicine, a phone, and a wallet. All stolen on the way to the library. The medicine from a local pharmacy, and the other two from some random guy he passed on the street. Nobody was sick yet, but in these living conditions, it was bound to happen. He entered the section that belonged to the masked masqueraders. It was marked by graffiti, mostly by McKenzie. When they first met, she admitted had things been different, she would have been an art teacher. But now, it was unlikely she would be anything above fast food manager. They just didn't have the money, means, or time for any of them to attend college. Hassan knew that it was Suzette's goal for him to go to college, but he couldn't see it happening. McKenzie said she wanted all of her siblings including Alexandra to go to college, but that was unlikely. Lex showed no interest in college, and Lia never had very good grades. Mal might, but she had left school at a young age, and didn't remember it well. Cormac never went to school, so that was out as well. Hassan found Lilith on top of a building. Upon seeing him she jumped from the roof, and landed on a rickety porch. She jumped off that, and pushed two random guys aside. Hassan realized that she was in her masked masquerader costume. A black tank top underneath a black hoodie, black and grey leggings, black tennis shoes, and black gloves with silver studs on the wrist part. She often wore it around here. People didn't…respect her exactly. More like feared her. But that was fine by him. Everyone knew they were friends. They left him alone.

"I need to tell you something important. In private." Hassan whispered in her ear. She nodded. When a masked masquerader, she tried her best not to speak. They all did. One time, someone had said to Alexandra 'you are so weak, you can't even talk.' She looked them right in the face and said 'never mistake my silence for weakness. After all, nobody plans murder out loud.' It was hilarious. Hassan followed Lia to a corner underneath an old stair case, and behind some old bronze cylinder shaped containers. Laying there on the ground was Cormac, asleep. McKenzie had made it very clear that nobody was to touch him. The last one who tried, never fully got his vision back. Lia pulled down her hood down and removed her mask, letting her curls tumble down her back, and her slight frown show.

"What's wrong Hassan?" she asked concernedly. He sighed.

"Remember that day when we came back, and had a bunch of sandwiches and drinks?" Lilith nodded slowly.

"Yeah…how could I forget? It was enough to last a while, but he stupid police ransacked our place and kicked us out. But we're moving back in soon right? They won't suspect us." Hassan nodded.

"Later today in fact. Kenzie is going there after work to make sure there are no police, and if we don't hear from her we can assume its safe." Lia smiled.

"It will be good to be home again. But what did you need to tell me?"

"Well the brunette we robbed? She's on to us. Well not us per say. But she's on to me and Lexi." Lilith bit her lip.

"We knew they would be eventually. They're her friends. They were bound to notice it was her with red hair at some point. I hope McKenzie was able to get the hair dye. Andra's roots are starting to show." Suddenly the sound of screaming was heard. Groaning, Lilith pulled her mask and hood back on and ran out to find the cause of the commotion. Hassan hoped that Alexandra was having a better day than he was.

Alexandra was _not_ having a good day. Her baggy beige and black striped sweatshirt was uncomfortable in the heat, and that plus the dirty blue skinny jeans made her rather sweaty. Her hair was pulled back in a fishtail braid. She knew that she was lucky. She really was. Many people had to live literally on the streets. She lived in a fancy boarding school most of the year. During the summer, she usually lived in an apartment. Sure they were currently living in an alley with a bunch of other homeless people, but Hassan assured them it was only temporary. Soon they would be back to their lovely apartment. Well, lovely was an exaggeration. They didn't have any power or water, so they couldn't keep things cold or warm, or use water to bathe or drink, they had to use public restrooms, and when Alexandra visited during the holidays to deliver food it was freezing. But it protected them from the elements and others. On top of being uncomfortable though, they had barely made any money. It was an extremely hot day, and anyone smart was inside or at a pool. They had made about four pounds, but they had been here sense seven this morning. Just being here, so close to other wizards and witches gave her chills. They were begging at the corner right next to a dance studio. It used to be a bank, but it had closed and was now a dance studio. The secret entrance to the ministry was literally eight feet behind them. so far, nobody from there had noticed her. But it was five, and many would be leaving work.

"It's horrible Kingsley. She was such a sweet girl. But now I know why we were to pick her up at that park and not her house." Said the familiar voice of Tonks from behind her. Alexandra quickly pulled her hair out of the braid, and attempted to cover her scar completely. Mallory sent her an inquisitive look, but didn't say anything. She heard Kingsley sigh and prayed that they would be like everyone else and ignore the little girl holding the sign and the older girl holding a plastic cup. Alexandra knew that she was part of the reason that they didn't make as much money. She was wearing the expensive (looking. It really wasn't.) ring from Hassan, and the actually expensive charm bracelet Hermione had given her for her birthday a few days ago. It had six charms: a red stone to symbolize first year, a silver snake for second year, a gold hourglass for third year, a purple dress charm for fourth year, a hand cuff charm with the letter D on the first one and A on the second one, and half of a gold heart. It read from top to bottom; PART I CR. Hermione had a matching charm bracelet, and together they read partners in crime. Alexandra was glad that the fourth and fifth year charms represented more carefree adventures such as the yule ball and D.A instead of the third task and the department of mysteries fiasco.

"Oh Arthur, how good to see you!" exclaimed Tonks, and Alexandra felt like crying. Why? Why did Mr. Weasley have to be here? They were now literally right behind them. she silently begged Mal with her eyes not to catch their attention, but to no avail.

"Excuse me! would you like to donate money?" she called out.

Tonks had just greeted Arthur, when she noticed two girls on the ground. One looked about nine, with messy blackish hair, and the other appeared to be about fourteen with red hair that was black at the roots. Obviously dyed. The younger girl turned around, and Tonks saw huge brown eyes staring back at her. She was holding a sign that said: YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! MONEY NEEDED FOR FOOD! PLEASE DONATE MONEY! While seeing homeless people was common, Tonks couldn't believe that there were homeless witches begging in front of the ministry.

"Excuse me! would you like to donate money?" asked the younger one. Tonks felt horrible, so she threw them some sickles. Arthur tossed in to knuts, and Kingsley tossed her a galleon. Tonks thought that that was generous, but the little girl looked outraged.

"What am I supposed to do with this stupid foreign money?" she shouted. Tonks, startled, jumped back. The girl gasped, and she realized that her hair must have changed color. Grabbing a strand, Tonks fear was confirmed as she saw ghostly white instead of deep blue. The girl was now hyperventilating. She whipped around to face the redhead, whom seemed to be taking this just fine.

"Alex, ¿qué está pasando? ¿Por qué el pelo de la dama cambia de color? ¿Los conoces? (Alex, what's going on? Why did the lady's hair change color? Do you know them?) the girl asked in rapid Spanish. So the redhead's name was Alex? Or was it simply a nickname?

"Woah! Calm down Mal! You're speaking Spanish again. We've been over this. Only your sisters can speak Spanish." Alex said. Mal, what a peculiar name, gasped and started speaking in Spanish anyway.

"¡Ese es Arthur, el Sr. Weasley, el papá de tu amigo Ron!" (Don't think that one needs translating) Tonks looked pointedly at Arthur. She didn't need to speak fluent Spanish to understand what Mal was saying. It was clear she was saying something along the lines of: it is Arthur Mr. Weasley, dad of friend Ron, or something like that. Arthur stepped forward and knelt down so that he was on the ground with the girls.

"You know my son Ron?" he asked. Both girls quickly shook their heads.

"But Andi does, don't you." Mal spoke up. Ah. So Alex was a nickname. Her name was probably Alexandria or Alexandra. The redhead shook her head again. Mal groaned in frustration.

"Yeah you do- but the older girl had had enough.

"Mallory Violet Asho! For once in your life, shut up!" she exclaimed. Tonks thought that was a bit harsh, and expected Mallory to start crying, but instead she just smirked.

"Really? _That's_ the meanest you can be? Honey, I've heard worse in both Spanish _and_ English before I could speak English." She said. The older girl sighed, and moved some hair off her sweaty forehead…revealing a scar.


	5. Say what now?

Tonks thought it was the hair that gave it away. For Alexandra looked like a deer caught in the head lights. Mallory's eyes rolled back in her head, and she passed out. Definitely muggle. Alexandra didn't seem to notice. Her panic gaze kept going from Kingsley, to Arthur, to her, and back again. She licked her lips nervously.

"Ms. Potter?" Kingsley asked in shock.

"No?" the teen asked hopefully. Arthur turned to face her.

"Alexandra?" he tried. Said girl sighed in defeat.

"H-hey Mr. Weasley." She said looking at the ground. Tonks opened her mouth to ask one of the many questions jumping around in her head, but Alexandra interrupted.

"All will be explained once we get home. Let us change, and we'll take you there." The adults all nodded, and Kingsley cast a quick spell to wake Mallory up. Looking around, she suddenly got nervous and backed away from the adults in fear. Alexandra leaned down in whispered something in the young girl's ear. She paled up and started shaking her head quickly, tears forming in her eyes. Alexandra helped Mallory up, and they entered the dance studio. With a worried glance at her coworkers, and entered.

This day could not get worse. Alexandra couldn't believe that out of all the people to find her, it had to be three members of the order of the phoenix who could all do magic and all knew her at least semi well. Malloy still looked like she was about to cry, and Alexandra knew it was because of what she had said. But it was the truth. These people were going to take her away, and they may never see each other again after today. But Alexandra couldn't focus on that. you can only eat an elephant one piece at a time. So for now, she simply focused on getting her masked masqueraders costume on. Mal rolled her eyes, but did the same. She didn't get it, but Alexandra did. He girls were intimidating even without the costumes, but adding a gimmick made people more scared and unsure. Five girls trying to best everyone would get laughed at, but five mysterious people nobody knew the identity of who could obviously fight? They were people you didn't want to mess with. Alexandra put on her black leggings, crop-top, jacket, and boots, before putting her red hair in a bun and hiding it under a black beanie. Finally she pulled on her fingerless gloves and mask. He mask was simple enough; it only covered the area of her face around her eyes and a red flame was the only design on the otherwise black mask. Mallory exited the stall at the same time as Alexandra. She was wearing a green tank-top underneath a black tee-shirt, along with a plain black mask, leggings, elbow length fingerless gloves, and sneakers. Strapped to her leg was a knife and her hair was done in a messy braid. Tonks looked shocked at the new appearance, and Alexandra grimaced. Why? Why did they have to find out?

The walk to Ceniza was silent and rather awkward. Nobody knew what to say. Finally they arrived at the gates. Mr. Weasley cleared his throat.

"Um, Alexandra? Is this legal?" he asked already knowing the answer. Groaning, Alexandra turned to face them.

"Look, let's get a few things straight. No part of my life outside of scho…well actually a good bit of my life in school now that I think of it, anyway no. it's not legal. And please, don't call me by my name, or any name while in there. Just don't talk to me, Mal, or anyone else. Got it? good." She said without giving them a chance to answer. Suddenly she jumped up, and with an extreme amount of upper body strength, pulled herself over the gate. Mallory did the same. The adults looked apprehensive. Rolling her eyes, Alexandra mouthed the word 'magic' and covered Mallory's eyes. no use if she passed out again. The wizards and Tonks avapporated to the other side of the gate with a faint pop. Mal succeeded in removing the elder girl's hand but there was no longer anything to hide. Looking annoyed, Mallory stomped off. Alexandra beckoned for her magical companions to follow her. They looked horrified by what they saw. Alexandra didn't seem fazed, and instead seemed to make it worse. A young boy was asleep while a baby girl sat next to him. No adults were around, and Alexandra quickly snatched three surprisingly fresh looking peaches. Tonks gasped but nobody seemed to notice anything strange. A girl with her black hair cut in a choppy bob and tan skin rushed up to the boy and girl. Tonks figured they were related, for they looked very similar. Scowling, she picked up a rock and threw it at Alexandra. Alexandra simply ducked, and the rock continued flying overhead breaking a window. She continued walking. Eventually they reached a heavily graffitied area. When people saw them, they started screaming however. Mr. Weasley was confused as to what was scaring them. Alexandra groaned. She would have to speak. Great.

"Shut up!" yelled a voice suddenly. Their little group turned and saw Lilith emerging from behind some cylinders. Everyone quickly stopped screaming. Lilith herself froze however, when she saw the adults. Alexandra realized what was going on. They thought the magical folk were the fuzz or something.

"They's ain't a threat! As you were!" shouted Alexandra. Around here, they didn't trust those who didn't have an 'accent'. Suzette and McKenzie made it clear though that they were to talk the proper way. However, street slang was effective for making rowdy crowds behave. They went back to whatever they were doing, as Alexandra led the adults to their little spot under the stairs. Suddenly she was assaulted by someone. Alexandra quickly kneed them in the crotch and threw them into wall.

"Ava!" exclaimed Lilith. It was then that Alexandra realized that the person who had assaulted her was none other than Hassan who now lay groaning on the ground. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Ripping off her mask and hat, she rushed over to him.

"Dang! Remind me never to get on your bad side." He grumbled.

"Hassan, I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't know it was you-

"It's fine. Should've known better than to try to hug my girlfriend." Alexandra rolled her eyes and helped him up.

"You'll be fine, ya big baby." Lia smirked.

"And the best friend of the year award goes to Lilith Asho!" Lilith slapped him on the back, and he yelped in pain before pouting. He then realized that they had company.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" he asked. Alexandra smacked him upside the head.

"Ignore my boyfriend."

"Your…boyfriend?" asked Mr. Weasley in shock. Blushing, Alexandra nodded. Hassan pouted again.

"I'd like to think I'm a bit more to you than a mere boyfriend." He smirked. She blushed again. But he was right. They were so much more. They had been through so much more in the past two years. Even if they didn't marry, they'd always be family.

"Get a room you two! Or better yet, a bronze cylinder!" exclaimed Lilith.

"Aw come on Lia!" pouted Hassan for the third time. Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Why I date you when Cormac's IQ is higher than yours, I will never know." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Spell and define indubitable."

"Humph. Fine spell and define salvio hexia." Tonks and Kingsley looked shocked, and Mr. Weasley looked nervous. Hassan didn't notice, and simply crossed his arms.

"Your weird fake words don't count." Tonks cleared her throat.

"Anyway, we need to- she was interrupted by McKenzie. She was rushing down the street, still in her work clothes.

"I'm being followed by this obnoxious redhead girl. Ginny." She panted. Mr. Weasley gasped.

"That obnoxious redhead as you put it is my youngest child and only daughter. Why is she following you?" McKenzie but her lip.

"Uh, I think she might be mad that I locked her in that room." Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Ya think?" she asked. "Really Kenz, you have zilch people skills." Tonks cleared her throat. Again.

"Ahem! Yes like I was saying, we really should t- but again she was interrupted, this time by Suzette. Suzette was also in her street clothes instead of her all black. But that's not what caused Alexandra to stare. For she was not only dragging Fred and George by their ears, she was also dragging Ronald.

"These little rats were being too nosy." Suzette snarled. All three boy's widened.

"Alexandra?" they asked in unison. Alexandra flung up her arms in frustration.

"What is it? national kidnap my friends day?" Hassan and the Asho's laughed. Tonks cleared her throat. For the third time.

"Excuse me! now, as I was saying, I'm sorry but we really need to take Alexandra." This was met by uproar from the street rats. Hassan tightly gripped her hand, Mallory her arm, and Lilith her shoulder. Suzette threw the Weasley boys to the ground, as she and McKenzie moved closer to the witch.

"Take her where?" asked McKenzie. Mr. Weasley raised an eyebrow.

"That is classified. But first, she'll be going to the hospital wing of Hogwarts." Mallory laughed at the name of her school, while Alexandra groaned at the prospect of staying at the hospital wing.

"I'm sorry but Hogwarts? Really? What kind of name is Hogwarts?" asked Lilith.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry of course!" exclaimed Ron


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: i do not own harry potter.

Luna (Guest)~ here's your chapter, thanks for the review

Forget about Hassan being stupider than Cormac. Compared to Ronald, he looked like albert Einstein. Alexandra knew that wasn't fair, Ron really wasn't stupid. Neither was Hassan. Hassan was immature, and Ron had no tact. But in this moment, she wanted nothing more than to slap him. She'd prefer a time turner of course, but a few well-placed punches, kicks, and slaps, would do the trick as well. So she marched up to him, and slapped him hard across the face. Not hard enough to leave a mark…for long. It would be gone within an hour.

"What the bloo-

"Ronald Weasley! Langue!" scolded his father.

"Fine. What the heck did you do that for?"

"I'm the only magical street rat. The rest are m-u-g-g-l-e-s." she said the last part very fast. A look of comprehension, something she often only saw after they solved a mystery and never in class, crossed his face.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh!" she exclaimed. Hassan grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"Is it true? You're a witch?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed together. She nodded, looking down. What if he saw her for what her relatives saw her as? A freak. The Asho and co exchanged looks before suzette nodded.

"We wish to talk with Alexandra. Alone." She stated, before grabbing the bottom of one of the old steps. It would be much simpler to climb them, but way less fun. The gap between the stairs wasn't huge, not even close, but when you lived on the streets you tended to be thin. Suzette pulled her torso up, then bent forward and pulled her legs up resulting in a handstand. She pushed up, did a flip, and ended on her feet.

"Six and half years of gymnastics really help." Suzette smirked. Lia rolled her eyes.

"Show off." Smirked Lilith.

"Why hello Ms. Pot!" greeted Mallory with fake enthusiasm.

"You really shouldn't say such things about Ms. Kettle." Scolded McKenzie.

"After all, it's not nice." Hassan smirked.

"After all, you're black as well." Alexandra finished. Lilith laughed while rolling her eyes.

"Fair point." She conceded. The wizards (And Tonks) looked confused.

"I don't get it." said Mr. Weasley. Alexandra sighed.

"I'll explain it later." She promised, before going up the crummy stair case. The normal way. Picking up a pebble, Hassan threw it at the window and successfully broke it. they climbed in, and looked warily at the floor.

"Lets hope this doesn't fall in." Cormac mumbled. The street rats gasped. They didn't even realize that Cormac was awake, let alone that he followed them.

"Cormac sweetie, why don't you go back down to where the other people are. I promise they wont hurt you." Alexandra smiled. But the five year old stubbornly shook his head no.

"I don't wanna." He said. Alexandra sighed.

"Suzette?" she pleaded.

"Cormac, I want you to go down and stay with the redhead man. Er-the full grown one."

"Yes mummy." He said before trailing forlornly down the stairs. Suzette was the eldest at age twenty. Cormac had assumed he was his mum, not having any real memories of the life before. As soon as he was gone, the Asho and co rounded on Alexandra.

"How could you not tell us you're a witch?!" exclaimed Lilith. Alexandra shrugged.

"My aunt and uncle," the others started scowling, "Didn't like me because I was magical and…Ididn'twantyoutothinkIwasafreakaswellbecausetheonlyoneswhodidn'tthinkiwasafreakweremagicalaswellandI'malreadyaburdenandyouguyswereniceenoughtotolleratemebutithoughyouwouldn'twantmetostaywithyouanymoreifyoufoundout." She blurted out very quickly. McKenzie's gaze turned sympathetic while Suzette's looked angry and Hassan sad. Clearly they had the power to understand rushed words.

"That's why your relative's abused you? For something you couldn't control?" asked McKenzie, appalled. Alexandra nodded slightly, and tension and awkwardness filled the small room. Lilith decided to attempt to lighten the mood.

"So now that we know you're a witch, can you explain your charm bracelet?" she asked. Alexandra grinned.

"Sure! The first one is the philosophers stone. It's a stone that grants the user immortality, and in my first year someone was trying to steal it. Hermione, Ron, and I stopped him, and I got the stone. Second year, a monster was petrifying students, and nobody knew what it was or who was controlling it. all they knew was that last time it was out, a student died. Turns out that Ginny Weasley was setting it on students, but she didn't mean to. She was possessed. Anyway, she was taken into the chamber, so Ron and I went down after her. Turns out the monster was a deadly snake that could kill you very easily. I stabbed it with a sword, rescued Ginny, yada, yada, yada. The hourglass was for third year, when Hermione and I rescued an escaped convict using time travel. The time travel device was an hourglass. Sorta. The dress represents a ball that happened in my fourth year. I was one of the guests of honor so to speak, and Hermione was one of the guests of honor's dates. Last year, we got a horrible defense teacher. She didn't believe that this murder who wanted to kill me came back to life. So she gave me detention and used a magical quill to repeatedly cut open my hand. But that's beyond the point. She refused to teach us defense techniques, so we started an illegal club that I taught. It was called the D.A. so yeah." She finished lamely. Hassan was glaring and clenching his jaw angrily.

"Uh, Hassan? You're not mad at me right?" she asked hesitantly. He seemed to just realize what he was doing and blinked a couple of times.

"No. I'd never be mad at you. I'm mad at this murderer. I'm mad at the universe. I'm mad at this professor who clearly harmed you." Lilith walked forward quickly, startling Alexandra. The curly haired girl grabbed the redhead's arm and pulled her sleeve up above her hand. Nobody had really paid much attention. A few cuts didn't mean much. But now they saw that they actually were words.

 _I must not tell lies_

"That-that-that-that…ugh! There are no words horrible enough!" Suzette exclaimed. Alexandra rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"Um…look this is kinda awkward, but they're gonna make me leave." She stated sadly. Mallory frowned.

"Can't we just come with you?" she asked. "We already know the secret. Can't we just go?" she pleaded. Alexandra bit her lip. It was worth a shot. They exited the old room by jumping over the railing of the old steps.

"I'll come with you guys. Willingly. Right now. On one condition. The Asho and co get to come with." Alexandra waited with baited breath for his answer. Exchanging looks, Mr. Weasley opened his mouth to respond.

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!


	7. Stupefy!

warning! some ooc-ness in this chapter. it go the second most votes so...

"No." he said sadly.

"No?" she asked in shock. "Why on earth not?" Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Alexandra, they're muggles. We cannot just bring muggles to Hogwarts you know that. in fact, we'll probably have to wipe their memories." The street rat's eyes widened.

"W-wipe our memories?" Cormac asked fearfully. Tonks hair turned a dark blue.

"It's okay. The only things you'll forget are magic and Alexandra. But she'll be going to a better place." Cormac looked faint.

"She's going to heaven!?"

"No! no. she's going back to the Dursleys household. A much safer environment." Alexandra paled now.

"Is heaven still an option?" asked Lilith. Alexandra started shaking. The wizards looked uncomfortable.

"I'm really sorry, but Alexandra's real friends and family in her real life are waiting for her." Mr. Weasley explained. Oh he did not just say that! Hassan started forward angrily, while McKenzie gasped and Suzette pulled Alexandra towards her.

"We are her real family!" hissed Lilith. McKenzie raced forward to hold Hassan back. Mallory tugged on Alexandra's arm.

"¿Qué hacemos Alexandra? ¿Realmente te van a llevar? Kenzie y Suzette los detendrán, ¿verdad? ¿Derecha? ¿Derecha? ¿Por qué no me respondes? ¿Bien? ¿Bien? ¿Bien?" Alexandra sighed. Mal was probably driving herself crazy, but there was nothing she could do to help. She didn't know what Mallory was saying.

"De ninguna manera en el infierno Mal! Cero." Shouted McKenzie over her shoulder. Mallory grinned.

"Look, we're her family. We know what's best for her." Ron stated firmly crossing his arms. Alexandra felt torn.

"Please let them come!" she begged. Tonks looked like she wanted to intervene, but decided against it.

"Well…" started Mr. Weasley.

"No." stated Kinsley in his deep voice. Alexandra's eyes hardened.

"Then I'm not coming with you."

"Yes Alexandra you are. Petrificus Totalus." He whispered pointing at Hassan. He did the same to Lilith and Mallory. By now muggles were starting to notice. Tonks bit her lip.

"I'm really, really sorry about this Alexandra. Stupefy." Alexandra crumpled to the ground. Suzette and McKenzie made sounds of fear and surprise. By now the spell had worn off Hassan. He rushed over to him before freezing upon seeing the wand pointed at Suzette. The stupefy spell wouldn't kill, but none of them knew that.

"Fred, George. Go get Alexandra." Mr. Weasley ordered. The two teens walked forward shakily and picked up Alexandra's body. They carried her over to the wizards. With one final sad look at the muggles they disappeared. Accept for one. Tonks.

"Look, I feel really bad about what I did to her. Here are instructions. You will meet me at five o'clock tomorrow at tumbling bay playground. I'll come get you and from there take you to a graveyard at a place called Gordric's Hollow. It's where her parents are buried. You'll be able to say your goodbyes. Tell nobody about magic. I was supposed to wipe your memories but…here I am. I truly am sorry." With that she disappeared. The street rats weren't sure what to do. was Alexandra dead? It looked like it. Tonks had said she had felt really bad. And they had to meet her at a graveyard to say their goodbyes. Isnt that what people did to their perished loved ones? How would they explain this to Cormac and Mallory? What had they done?

AN: no she's not dead. Tonks really could have phrased that better. So basically, she's sneaking Alexandra to Godric's Hollow under the guise of visiting her parents grave. In reality, she letting the Asho and co have a teary uninterrupted goodbye. I'm gonna love writing their reactions to seeing their 'dead' friend. Gotta love angst!


	8. Chapter 9

I'm not abandoning my stories, any of them, but I won't be updating for a bit. At least a week and a half. I meant to update two stories this weekend, but my dad s laptop crashed and nobody knows what's wrong. I had a document for a story that was 46 pages long. It has disappeared. Until his laptop is fixed, I'm stuck. I am currently typing this on my phone. So yeah. Sorry for any mistakes


	9. Chapter 10

The street rats stood assembled in the graveyard. Tonks had shown up a few minutes before in a strange dress and brought them here, before leaving in that creepy way that wizards do. All waiting for…well, they weren't quite sure what. Tonks to come back and take them to the grave most likely. It had been quite an ordeal to explain to Mallory and Cormac what was happening. They weren't quite sure Cormac understood, but he had been unusually quite sense they attempted to explain it, so maybe he did know. A faint pop alerted them to a magical beings presence. They looked to their left and saw Tonks, her hair now black.

"Follow me." they trailed behind her past tons of old graves. Tonks flicked her hand, and a statue of three people popped up. A black haired man, a redhead woman, and a black haired baby cradled in their arms. It was Alexandra and her parents.

"They used to live here." Tonks explained. "Alexandra's old house is right down the road a little ways." She continued until they were at a joined grave. It had the names if Mr. and Mrs. Potter on it. But those were the only names on it. Mallory gasped and tugged on McKenzie's sleeve.

"¿Qué?" she snapped. Mal just shook her head and pointed. McKenzie looked up from the grave and shrieked. This alerted Suzette who inhaled sharply and put her hands over her mouth. Hassan, who had been staring forlornly at the ground and blocking out everything else, looked up and gasped. Standing there was a ghost. An honest to goodness ghost. It had to be. For it looked like Sandra when they first met her, black hair and all. Except…now, she looked dead. And she was dead. Her long garments touched the ground and they could not see if she was floating or walking. Hassan opened his mouth to say something when Tonks clamped a hand over it.

"It is our tradition. You do not speak to her until she speaks to you. You do not touch her unless she touches you. Those are the rules. Got it?" he nodded and she removed her hand. Ghost Alexandra still wasn't facing them. maybe you couldn't hear after you die? After what seemed like hours, but was only mere minutes, Alexandra started to slowly turn around. When she saw them, her eyes widened and she glanced at Tonks. Tonks smiled and nodded, her hair turning bright pink. Ghost Alexandra's face broke into a grin. She quickly rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Hassan's neck, before doing the same with the rest of the street rats. When she tried to release Cormac however, he refused and with a giggle she held him. Who knew ghosts could touch you? You learn something new every day. With a wistful smile he stared into ghost Alexandra's eyes and waited for her to speak. Hassan saw her lips moving quickly but no sound came out. this saddened him. Do you lose your voice when you die? Is Alexandra now nothing more that a mere reflection of what life was? He was startled out of his thoughts as someone snapped their fingers in his face. Ghost Alexandra. Her lips moved again, and this time he could make out what she was saying. She was asking if he was okay. He nodded jerkily, no longer trusting himself to speak. Ghost Alexandra's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She turned to Tonks and mouthed more words. Tonks simply shrugged in response


	10. FINAL CHAPTER

AN: So just to clear up; the street rats really and truly believe Alexandra is dead. Tonks showed a lot of remorse, but not enough for someone who just killed a child. However, growing up in the streets death is a very present fact of life. So to them, Tonks showed the correct amount of remorse. Also, they are under the impression that Tonks is simply law enforcement. Street kids don't have the best experience with them. so yeah. They 'know' that she is dead. Also, what do you guys think of the last chapter? I originally was going to have Alexandra and Hassan get into a big fight, have Alexandra leave of her own accord, and Lilith prove herself to be two-faced, but I decided that Hassan and Alexandra are cute, and that I liked Lilith too much to make her evil. Onto the update I made you wait too long for!

IMPORTANT AN AT THE END! YOU WILL REGRET SKIPPING IT!

Alexandra tugged at her robes. Wizards wore such strange things in time of mourning. She was wearing a floor length, sleeveless white dress, elbow length white gloves and white heels. She would have felt like a bride, if not for the strange cloak. It was white, of course, and made of a thin gauzy material. The hood was pulled up over her head. The makeup they wore was even stranger. It was applied in such a way, she looked as if she were dying. All in all, Alexandra looked like a ghost. Ginny, who had delightfully helped the elder girl pick out robes and put on makeup, claimed it was symbolic. Apparently it was supposed to show that with whoever's death you were mourning, a bit of you died as well. Hermione backed it up though, so it was probably true. Or an elaborate prank. Either way she was ready to visit her parents grave. Alexandra was really surprised when Tonks had offered to take her, but grateful nevertheless. She walked down the steps of Grimmuald place, not speaking a word. Everyone averted their eyes from her and cleared a path. Normally she would find this concerning, but Hermione had explained wizard customs after extensive research; the mourner was not to talk until he/she reached the grave, and nobody was to speak to the mourner until they themselves spoke. When speaking to the mourner, you spoke with a hushed voice. Not a whisper, but still quiet. The mourner spoke is a whisper when paying respect, but only mouthed words or spoke inaudibly. Usually, there was a witch or wizard joining the mourner who cast a special spell to help them understand what the mourner was saying. Tonks was Alexandra's escort, but she doubted it would be necessary to talk to anyone besides her on this trip. It was out respect for the dead and Alexandra felt as though a part of her was truly dying, as another was moving on. Tonks was waiting by the door for her. Alexandra immediately felt jealous of Tonks. Or rather, Tonks's outfit. The bodice was an intricate red design that resembled a cage, and the skirt was long with roses. The red cage design was supposed to symbolize being trapped; unable to help the person you knew was mourning. The roses represented your empathy for the person. Tonks held the door open and the duo stepped out. with a pop they avapporated. They arrived and walked silently to the grave. Tonks made a stay here gesture avapporated away again.

Justtriedoutformyschoolplayiwasinitlastyearandidespreatlyhopethatigetinthisyeariamnotacryerbutifidontgetinimightdie#

The street rats stood assembled in the graveyard. Tonks had shown up a few minutes before in a strange dress and brought them here, before leaving in that creepy way that wizards do. All waiting for…well, they weren't quite sure what. Tonks to come back and take them to the grave most likely. It had been quite an ordeal to explain to Mallory and Cormac what was happening. They weren't quite sure Cormac understood, but he had been unusually quite sense they attempted to explain it, so maybe he did know. A faint pop alerted them to a magical beings presence. They looked to their left and saw Tonks, her hair now black.

"Follow me." they trailed behind her past tons of old graves. Tonks flicked her hand, and a statue of three people popped up. A black haired man, a redhead woman, and a black haired baby cradled in their arms. It was Alexandra and her parents.

"They used to live here." Tonks explained. "Alexandra's old house is right down the road a little ways." She continued until they were at a joined grave. It had the names if Mr. and Mrs. Potter on it. But those were the only names on it. Mallory gasped and tugged on McKenzie's sleeve.

"¿Qué?" she snapped. Mal just shook her head and pointed. McKenzie looked up from the grave and shrieked. This alerted Suzette who inhaled sharply and put her hands over her mouth. Hassan, who had been staring forlornly at the ground and blocking out everything else, looked up and gasped. Standing there was a ghost. An honest to goodness ghost. It had to be. For it looked like Sandra when they first met her, black hair and all. Except…now, she looked dead. And she was dead. Her long garments touched the ground and they could not see if she was floating or walking. Hassan opened his mouth to say something when Tonks clamped a hand over it.

"It is our tradition. You do not speak to her until she speaks to you. You do not touch her unless she touches you. Those are the rules. Got it?" he nodded and she removed her hand. Ghost Alexandra still wasn't facing them. maybe you couldn't hear after you die? After what seemed like hours, but was only mere minutes, Alexandra started to slowly turn around. When she saw them, her eyes widened and she glanced at Tonks. Tonks smiled and nodded, her hair turning bright pink. Ghost Alexandra's face broke into a grin. She quickly rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Hassan's neck, before doing the same with the rest of the street rats. When she tried to release Cormac however, he refused and with a giggle she held him. Who knew ghosts could touch you? You learn something new every day. With a wistful smile he stared into ghost Alexandra's eyes and waited for her to speak. Hassan saw her lips moving quickly but no sound came out. this saddened him. Do you lose your voice when you die? Is Alexandra now nothing more that a mere reflection of what life was? He was startled out of his thoughts as someone snapped their fingers in his face. Ghost Alexandra. Her lips moved again, and this time he could make out what she was saying. She was asking if he was okay. He nodded jerkily, no longer trusting himself to speak. Ghost Alexandra's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She turned to Tonks and mouthed more words. Tonks simply shrugged in response.

"I can ask them if you like." Tonks offered. The black haired girl smiled and nodded.

"She wants to know why you're acting so weird. And not just blondie. All of you."

"Is that a legitimate question right now?" Suzette asked with one eyebrow raised. Tonks smirked.

"Point taken. I guess this is all a bit strange to you." That won understatement of the year. First they find out that Lexa was a witch, then these people killed her, and now they were having a conversation with her ghost! Ghost Alexandra bounced on the balls of her feet (did ghost have feet?) and mouthed something else to Tonks.

"She says that she wants to know the weirdest part for you guys." Mal let out a shaky laugh.

"Having a conversation Spirit Andra takes the cake for sure." Ghost Alexandra's face scrunched up in confusion.

 _What?_ she mouthed. She whirled around to face Tonks and started mouthing things so fast it looked like gibberish. Tonks held up her hands in a pleading manor.

 _"_ Whoa! Calm down. I didn't tell them you were dead. I have no idea where they got that from. I swear!" she couldn't mean what he thought she meant right? Alexandra was dead…right? He wanted so badly to believe that she wasn't, but he couldn't bare to get his hopes up just to have them crushed.

 _"_ You mean…Lexi's alive?" Lilith asked. It was the first time she spoke sense that day. At this gho-or rather real Alexandra's eyes popped out of her head.

 _You mean you thought that Tonks killed me? I'm pretty sure she would be killed if she did. I am the savior of the wizarding world. Though at least half of said world wants to throw me in the loony bin._

Hassan was proud that he was able to read all of that. she didn't really talk fast, but still. Lip reading was a hard skill. He must have not understood though. If she was alive and fine, then why wasn't she talking? Alexandra turned around once more to face Tonks and smiled.

 _Can I please talk now?_

Tonks shook her head.

"You know how this works as well as I do. Don't give me that look. Knowing Hermione, you're probably and expert by now."

 _Can you at least explain what's going on to them?_

Tonks bit her lip. Hassan was hoping she would. He was so lost.

"I guess I can. They already know about magic. And it's not like they're following the other rules." Alexandra got an annoyed look on her face. With her hands on her hips she asked

 _Did you explain the rules to them? I mean if you did they would respect the dead by talking in a hushed voice._

Respect the dead…all Hassan really wanted to know was if that included Alexandra or not. He didn't care about respecting a bunch of corpses. Unless one of those corpses was his girlfriend. Tonks looked sheepish.

"Uh…I told them that they didn't talk or touch you until you did. But that's er, that's about it." ALEXANDRA Rolled her eyes.

Screw tradition. I've paid respect to my parents.

She turned to face us.

"I'm not dead guys." She started rubbing at her face. The pale whiteness and gaunt appearance of her face disappeared somewhat. She held up her hand to show makeup. "This is just wizard tradition." She pulled off her cloak, thus ruining the illusion of her being a ghost. It revealed a white dress, white gloves, and black hair pinned out of her face. "I guess these gloves are ruined anyway." She was right. There was makeup on one glove. Alexandra pulled them off and used them to wipe all of the makeup off her face. She unpinned her hair and Hassan watched as it fell in loose waves in front of her face.

"I've missed you so much." He said. She rushed forward to embrace him. He was shocked to see her crying.

"I wish you guys could come with me." She mumbled into his shoulder. He gently pulled away.

"Hey this isn't the end. Forever and always right?" she smiled through her tears. Alexandra held up her hand to show the ring she was wearing under her gloves.

"Forever and always."

AN: the end! This is technically the last chapter! I can't believe it. This was only meant to be a three shot, but here we are! I want to thank all of the readers who stuck with me through this. Especially Mia Tia. He/she has been a faithful reviewer throughout this story. They have encouraged me and made my day. I want to thank all my reviewers for doing this. So options. Option one: this wasn't how this story was supposed to end. So I can write a fanfiction about how this was originally going to end. Option two: I can make a sequel. It would pick up in sixth year. Option three: I can do a series of one-shots spanning from sixth year till when they have grandchildren most likely. (Option three is my personal favourite ?) Option four: I could write an epilogue chapter and post it on this story. Through flashbacks, it would tell the tale of what happens next. Option five: I could write a new fanfiction about their kids. There is a poll up on my profile. Voting ends the 10th of January at eight o'clock. Get out there and vote!


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